One Torah for All

One Torah shall be to him that is home-born, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.

Exodus 12:49

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Sin in Thought, Word, and Deed Every Day?
Really? Must I?

Yochanan Aleph (1st John) 3:9 Whosoever is begotten of Elohim does no sin, because his seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is begotten of Elohim.

There is a prevalent teaching in our world today which comes to us through Calvinism. This teaching states that a person must sin in thought, word and deed every day. This is a false teaching. This study will examine the Scriptures to show why it is false. Such an idea will actually lead one into sin. To teach that one must sin every day is simply an excuse to sin. This teaching produces bad or evil fruit in a person’s life and denies the power of YHWH through His Spirit to help us lead a victorious life in our everyday living.

It is helpful, at least to me, to define at least three words: sin, transgression and iniquity and perhaps a couple of others along the way. Many use these three words interchangeably, when Scripture uses them to mean different things. Let us see what each of these words mean to help us in our walk with Mashiach Yeshua.

The English word “sin” comes from the Hebrew word חטאor חטה – “chata” which means to remove from source of life, thus by extension—sin. It also means “to miss the mark.” The idea of missing the mark is particularly instructive to us when we understand that the root word of תוֹרָה – “Torah” which is יָרָה – “yarah” means “to shoot, throw or cast, to hit the mark.” So keeping Torah is hitting the mark and when we miss the mark it is sin.

We can see that these two words are diametrically opposed to each other. However, they do have one thing in common – the mark. Sin (חטא - chata) is aiming at the mark and missing it; whereas Torah is the mark, aiming at the mark and hitting the mark. Torah which literally means “instruction” is instruction on how to hit the mark.

One will see something vastly different in looking at the word transgression. There are two words to consider here, מעל – “ma’al” and פשע – “pasha” (“pasha” being the more frequent of the two). “ Ma’al” means “to deceive or to cover up a wrongdoing.” “Pesha” means “transgress or misuse a relationship - rebellion.”

Sin (חטא - chata) is actually trying to do right and missing the mark, מעל – “ma’al” and פשע – “pasha” are both dealing with knowing what is right and choosing to aim somewhere else other than at the mark, which is Torah. Sin is simply missing what one is aiming at. Transgression is intentionally aiming at the wrong thing.

Now iniquity is completely different from the concept of sin or transgression. Where sin and transgression are actions, iniquity is a condition of the heart. This word “iniquity” is translated from the Hebrew word עָוֹן – “avon” which means “crookedness or wrongness.” The Hebrew root word is עוה – “avah” which means “a propensity to deviate from the proper way, bentness.” Thus we find that one’s iniquity is the cause of the effect found in sin and transgression.

Scripture teaches us some very important truths concerning these matters.

Tehillim (Psalm) 51:5 Behold, I was formed in iniquity;And in sin did my mother conceive me.

YHWH knows that from the moment of conception each person has a particular predisposition towards doing his own will. More than anything else from birth each person wants what he wants and he does not really care about what others want. Each person is bent in this manner from birth. Thus, we find testimony in Scripture that all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of Elohim.

Shemot (Exodus) 20:5-6 5 “You shall not bow down yourself to them, nor serve them; for I YHWH your Elohim am a jealous Elohim, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; 6 And shewing mercy to thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments.

It seems that while a child or baby does not know or have conscious thought of the specific commandments of the Torah of YHWH, they are born with an inclination to break those commandments. What parent does not know that a baby is interested in one thing and one thing only: meet MY needs, and do it NOW. Feed me, clean me (diaper changed - NOW), hold me, etc. A baby is completely focused upon himself. And he will cry, scream, and throw a fit until he gets it. This is the way a child is from birth. It is the duty of the parents to teach the child NOT to be self-centered. And self-centeredness is the essence of sin.

Yochanan Aleph (1st John) 3:4 Every one that does sin does also lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

If a person is lawless, then that person is without Torah. And to be without Torah is to be without Mashiach Yeshua for He is the Torah made flesh. To discard one is to discard the other, even if that is not the intention of the one doing the discarding.

Now back to this idea that one must sin in thought, word and deed every day.

Kepha Aleph (1st Peter) 4:1 Forasmuch then as Mashiach suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind; for he that has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin;

We are admonished to have the same mindset as Yeshua had, one in which He did the will of the Father in heaven. This will bring suffering in this life. When this happens one has stopped sinning. Remember, sin is missing the mark. In this context then, one has hit the mark and as a result, suffering has been manifest into his life.

Romans 6:17-18 17 But thanks be to Elohim, that, whereas you were servants of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto you were delivered;18 and being made free from sin, you became servants of righteousness.

Before we came to Yeshua and accepted Him as our Mashiach, each one of us was a servant to the sin in his own life. But His Blood delivers us from this bondage. Let us not return back into bondage to sin again, which leads to death. Let us learn to aim at and hit the mark of Torah.

Romans 6:12-13 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey the lusts thereof;13 neither present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to Elohim, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to Elohim.

If one obeys YHWH, then He is a servant of YHWH. If one obeys his own sinful lusts, then he is in bondage and a servant to those sinful lusts.

Romans 6:11 Even so reckon also yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to Elohim in Mashiach Yeshua.

Who are you living for? What are you aiming at?

Yochanan (John) 8:34 Yeshua answered them, “Amein, amein, I say to you, every one that commits sin is the bondservant of sin.

It is up to each and every person whether he will serve sin or serve our Master Yeshua.

Yochanan (John) 5:14 Afterward Yeshua finds him in the temple, and said to him, “Behold, you are made whole; sin no more, lest a worse thing befall you.”

Yeshua was clearly teaching us Torah! He said to this man whom He had healed, that since Yeshua had healed him, he was then to go and live a life that was according to Torah and stop sinning. Otherwise, something worse would come upon him.

The Spirit is saying the same thing to us today. When we come to Yeshua as Mashiach and He heals us spiritually and sometimes even physically, then we are to stop sinning and learn of Him and His ways that we might walk in obedience to His Voice. The mark set before us today is still the same, to hear and obey His Voice.

ABBA YHWH, give us Your strength and power that we might live a life according to Your Torah, according to Your Voice; in the name of Yeshua our Mashiach. Amein.